City of Pleasantville Receives Technical Assistance to Create a Municipal Water Story

Today, Sustainable Jersey announced that the City of Pleasantville was selected to receive technical assistance, funded by New Jersey American Water, to complete its Municipal Water Story action. The completion of the Water Story action helps municipalities earn points toward certification with Sustainable Jersey. The Water Story action results in a holistic understanding of a community’s water infrastructure, water governance and water resources as well as the identification of local water issues.

“At New Jersey American Water, our work extends beyond providing safe, clean and reliable water and wastewater services to our customers,” said Mark McDonough, President of New Jersey American Water. “This technical assistance opportunity will provide the City of Pleasantville’s Green Team and municipal staff the opportunity to create a Water Story that will advance their knowledge of the local water system, help them prioritize water challenges, and, ultimately, foster a better environment to live and work for our customers.”

City of Pleasantville Administrator Linda Peyton said, “Data collected during this technical assistance opportunity will shed light on the city’s water--from drinking water to stormwater. We will share the narrative with residents to review the facts, gain their input and enhance the story with information from their experiences with water to provide a full picture of our natural resources.”

The Water Story action is a fundamental step to achieving Sustainable Jersey’s Gold Star Standard in Water and is intended to serve as a catalyst for a wider discussion in the community to formulate an overall water strategy. In addition to providing funding to complete the project, New Jersey American Water engineers will assist Pleasantville City in the technical aspects of local water, such as helping them to understand the source and quality of their drinking water.

“As the City of Pleasantville continues to make strides towards the goal of becoming a sustainable community, it is especially important that the city identify key water issues through the completion of their Municipal Water Story,” said Randall Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey. “This work is a vital step toward sustainable water management, and will provide a model for other towns to follow.”